


Roll for Initiative

by localnastyboy



Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe, Dungeons and Dragons, Gen, Modern AU, Recreational Drug Use
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-28
Updated: 2016-12-04
Packaged: 2018-09-02 19:07:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8679880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/localnastyboy/pseuds/localnastyboy
Summary: The gang comprising of Varric, Merrill, Anders, and a very unenthusiastic Hawke all band together in a good ol' fashion D&D campaign. With Varric as their trusty DM, the adventurers must work together to overcome obstacles and role play their way to glory... if Hawke doesn't drown himself in booze before then.





	1. Onwards

“This is the nerdiest fucking thing ever.” Hawke slumped down in his seat, his face in his hands.

“Good thing you're a big nerd then, nerd.” Varric chirped from behind a makeshift divider. His face and all of his papers obscured by the wall he set up.

“I don't know why you're being such a complainer. Usually you’re really gung-ho about trying new things. Who knows, this could be super neat,” Anders chimed in. He pulled out a baggie of dice he bought before meeting his friends and he looked to be very excited. His eyes were looking down at the paper he was filling out.

“If you ever call one more thing ‘neat’ I may actually fight you.”

“If you ‘actually’ fight me, that would be even neater,” Anders stuck out his tongue. Hawke sank down even further.

“Come on, friends!” Merrill said optimistically, “let’s just try it out tonight and if its really the worst thing ever we can stop and never do it again. If you have such a salty attitude you're going to hate it no matter what, ok?”

“Fine.”

The group of friends sat around a table in Varric’s house. Drinks were full, character sheets were completed, and dice were ready. “Then I suppose… it’s time for some D-D-Dungeons and Dragons!”

“Fuck me,” Hawke took a generous swig of his beer.

“SHH,” Varric scolded. “We’re doing this my way and it’s going to be fun and we’re all going to have a GOOD TIME.”

“Yaay!” Merrill cheered as she elbows Hawke. Anders claps his hand around Hawke’s shoulder in camaraderie and belts out a laugh. 

“Alright, everybody,” Varric cleared his throat, “as your lovely DM…”

“That means Dungeon Master,” whispered Merrill into Hawke’s ear.

“Oh my god I know what it means!”

“AS YOUR LOVELY DM, I would like to formally welcome you into my humble basement. I know I’ve played before. Anders, you said you played once or twice before. Merrill and Hawke, though, you two are D&D virgins. I’m a very patient and giving DM so I’ll make sure you're properly prepared for the weird shit we’re gonna get into, but it’s all in good, wholesome fun. Time for introductions!” He motions towards Anders, “start us off, Blondie!”

“It's my pleasure!” Anders seemed way too confident about this, either that or he was a little more inebriated than he led on. Maybe both. “I’m Thri’endal, the Elven rogue. I specialize in duel-wielding blades and I spend plenty of time in the tavern. I love picking locks and picking up hot chicks.”

“Is he handsome?” Merrill cooed with a smile.

“Did you even need to ask? Of course I am. Not to mention my light armour is quite revealing.” He winks at Merrill and she pretends to faint. “My one downfall is my horribly tragic past I don't want to spoil quite yet but oh man, it’s a tear-jerker.”

“That's quite the nice start, Thri’endal. Merrill?”

“Yes! My name is Janice Strongheart, a halfling bard. Thank you for helping out with my sheet, I’m still confused as to how those numbers are going to come into play?”

“Don't worry, sweetheart. Keep going… Janice.” Varric stiffles a laugh. 

“Janice is a strong, feminine name! Anyways, as I was saying. I'm a halfling bard and I'm not super good at playing music but I try my hardest and never give up. I'm very sneaky, so always keep an eye out for me! My background is thievery so keep a hand on your purse!” 

“Well done, Janice! I am so very interested in what you have planned, Hawke?”

“I’m a human warrior named Fisher Kennedy.”

“Aaaand?”

“And I'm jacked and I have a big sword. I don't have a complicated story or anything. Fisher is a big guy who is good at hitting things,” Hawke crossed his arms. Anders just sighed and ran a hand through his hair. They're going to make him enjoy himself whether he likes it or not.   
“Alright then, Fisher. I'm sure you're just very mysterious and don't want to let on too much, eh? Of course you are. Well now that everyone had their meet and greet, it’s time to start setting the stage. You’ll notice I painstakingly drew the map that lays before you, in all of its glorious detail. Also, there's just three of you so I’ll scale the enemies appropriately.”

“Just us three because everyone had some common sense…” huffed Hawke under his breath. 

“Fisher! Did you say something?” the DM starred him down.

“Nope. Not a word. I promise to be in character the whole time,” He said as he pressed his hand to his heart. His other hand non-subtly crossing its fingers. 

“Fantastic! Now, stay on your toes because our first chapter of our campaign starts here. Onwards!” 

Anders and Merrill both give a happy cheer and ready their dice. Hawke shakes his head and finishes his drink.


	2. Harmon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang shows up in the port city of Harmon and hopefully make a good impression with the locals. What terrible event took place in he city? If they don't roll too badly, hopefully they'll find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To keep the rolls simple, assume all checks already have their modifiers applied so you don't have to keep track of stats and all in-character dialogue is in italics.

“So, how do you all know each other? A quick recap before I officially throw you in.”

“Well,” Anders began, “Janice and Thri’endal have worked a couple jobs together already due to their mutual sneaky nature. On one job in particular where we were being paid to rob a bank without alerting any guards or personelle. Fisher was a guard whose daily rounds included standing by the bank. He witness the whole event but kept his mouth shut about what we looked like when he was questioned later. He eventually found us afterwards and joined our band.”

“Sounds like an incredibly moral grey group. What even are your alignments?” Varric questioned as he shuffled through his papers behind his screen.

“Tri’endal is true neutral.”

“Janice is chaotic good!” claimed Merrill excitedly.

“And I’m lawful neutral,” muttered Hawke, the drinks finally started to hit him.

“I’m sorry, who?” Varric raised an eyebrow.

“Christ, you know I mean Fisher,” he threw his arms in the air, “I don't know how you expect me to keep this up.”

“You gave me your word, remember?” the DM gave a wink.

“Fuck.”

“Well put! So if you're looking at the map before you, I’m starting you all sitting in the grand square of the city of Harmon.”

“I roll to take a look around,” Merrill grabs her d20 and gives it a toss. She gets a 5.

“Uh, well you notice you're definitely in a city with people in it.”

“Give me a try,” and Hawke retrieves the die and rolls. A 17.

“Great first roll! Harmon is a port city, bumping with lots of merchants carrying various exotic goods. The fountain that sits in the middle of the square is a popular meeting spot among locals and a couple buskers are littered around showing off various talents in hopes to earn some coin. A clock tower that stands over the square indicates it's quarter to 5 in the evening. The city itself looks to be older. Can you roll a history check for me?”

Hawke rolls again and gets a 14.

“You remember a few stories about the place, figure it's around 200 years old. Harmon has been through a civil war near its inception and it looks like no one cared to clean it up all that much since. Buildings are looking a little worse for wear but the people did well with the resources they had before Harmon was included as a stop on a major trade route. There's definitely a rustic charm to it.”

“Is there a bar?” Anders asks.

“You think I would build a DnD campaign without a bar? You wound me. On the map it's the smaller building across the way.”

“Let’s check it out. It's usually a good place to talk with locals and get a feel for the town. Shall we?”

“We shall!” Merrill pipes up. “I grab Fisher and Thri’endal by the arm and head to the bar.”

“You three make you way towards the bar. A rusty sign hangs over the door calling itself “The a Loose Cannon”. You push open the doors and walk in,”

“What's the atmosphere in here?” Hawke asks, starting to get used to the motions.

“I'm going to need you to roll a perception check. Use the d20 again.”

Hawke gives the die a shake and gets a 7.

“It's hard for you to see through the heavy smoke that clings to the air from the copious amounts of smokers in here, but you see there's maybe a dozen or so people inside. Overall, it's very quiet inside; more quiet than you'd expect in the city’s main bar. The bartender is busy wiping off the counter.”

“Seems like a bummer. I head over to the bartender to have a chat,” Anders says while doodling a crude picture of Thri’endal on his character sheet.

“Do you want to roll perception?”

Anders throws the d20 and lands a 19.

“The bartender is an older woman, perhaps around 50. She keeps her dark hair in a mess of a bun on the top of her head, a few strands lay loose in her face. She wears a blouse that clings to her body quite tightly. While she works on cleaning, you can see her arms have a lot of definition to them and they’re covered in scars. She likely doubles as the bar’s bouncer and you don't doubt it by her looks. She only stands at around 5’7” but she could pack quite the punch. The nametag on her shirt reads Charmaine.”

“I like her already!” Anders smiles. “I sit down at the bar and turn to her."

" _Good evening madam."_

“ _Hah! I don’t get called Madam too much around here. Newcomers I suppose? What can I get for you kids?_ ” Charmaine smiles but there's a somber look to her.

 _“You could say that we’re tourists around these parts. Me and my friends here are just stopping in for a short while. What's the word aroud town?_ ” Thri’endal flashes a flirty grin.

“ _Not all that much lately. I keep the peace in here and people tend to respect that._ ” She answers but her lips twitches as she speaks.

“I’m going to roll for investigation. Something doesn't seem quite right,” Anders rolls a 12..

“She seems to be quite nervous.. A thin sheen of sweat lies on her brow,” Varric explains.

“ _Listen here, lady._ ” Fisher bellows. “ _We’re on important business here and there's a few things we need to know”_

“Hawke that's so rude! You can't just yell at her,” Merrill almost seems upset.

“Are you going to roll for intimidation or something?” their DM is leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed.

Hawke rolls a critical miss. His head is in his hands.

“ _What did you just say to me, boy?_ ” Charmaine growls from behind the counter. “ _You better explain yourself immediately. This is my bar and no one is going to fucking disrespect me like that in front of my customers.”_

“ _Uh, sorry?_ ” Fisher shrugs and offers a sheepish smile. Fisher has absolutely no charm modifier to speak of.

“ _Get the fuck out,_ ” Charmaine points a finger to the door. “ _If you don't move now I'm going to make you.”_

“We’ll be on our way, now! Terribly sorry for the trouble!” Janice grabs Fisher by the hand and leads him out the door, Thri’endal in tow.

“ _That went well_ ,” Thri’endal rubbed the arch of his nose in annoyance.

“Congratulations!” Varric proclaimed. “She was going to be your member until the endgame and save your asses eventually.”

“Fuck,” Hawke cracked open another beer.

“I'm kidding, but she would have definitely been a helpful ally. Next time try a nicer approach ok?”

Merrill starred down Hawke. A shiver ran down his spine.

“But as you three idiots leave the bar, a whisper beckons you from an alleyway.”

“Janice would want to check it out. We’re all tough so if any trouble happens we should be able to defend ourselves.”

Anders looked towards Hawke, “Well we didn't do so well defending ourselves from a bartender and she was the first NPC we encountered.”

“I said I was sorry! Let's just go check out the whisper first.” The group nodded in agreement.

“You all follow the voice that called you over. The alley behind the bar looks suspicious at best.”

“That's a good start,” muttered Hawke, taking a gulp from his drink. Merrill sipped on some lemon water.

“Sitting in the alley you see a hermit cloaked in what looks like an old potato sack. He calls to you in a rough voice.”

“ _You want to find out what really happened in this town? Sit by me and let me tell you,”_ the hermit flashed a toothless grin. “ _I’ll tell you everything._ ”


End file.
